It took the intervention of a U.S. Labor Department arbitrator, but after nearly seven weeks, Verizon workers are headed back to work.

A tentative agreement has been announced for the nearly 40,000 network technicians and customer service representatives of the company's Fios internet, telephone and television services units, who walked off the job on April 13.

The threat of a strike has forced organizers of The Stratford Shakespeare Festival to make preparations.

A job action has been threatened by call-centre staff over wages and the fear of having the department's work contracted to outside services. Negotiations are ongoing and phone lines remain open, but organizers suggest that patrons purchase tickets online to avoid potential delays.

Should a strike occur, it would be the first such labor action in the Festival's nearly 60 year history.